Photo Credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Sam Worthington has starred as Jake Sully in James Cameron’s Avatar franchise, but according to the legendary director, two other stars almost got the role.
What MCU star almost played Jake Sully in Avatar?
Speaking to Vanity Fair as he explained all of his past movies, Cameron opened up about the casting process for Jake Sully. According to Cameron, while he always liked Worthington in the role, Fox wanted Channing Tatum, who would go on to be Gambit in the world of Marvel, to be Jake.
“And Sam was the one I kept going back to. And the studio disagreed,” said Cameron. “The Fox guys liked the other guys better. You know, I’ll say one of ’em was Channing Tatum. So it’s like, ‘Okay, Channing did, well.’ You know, we’re all good with Channing Tatum, right? You know, it could have been Channing Tatum.”
In the end, Cameron said that Worthington’s attitude and ways of delivering lines made him want to follow Sully into battle and “into hell,” and that while it took some time to work with Worthington on his Australian accent, it ended up working out.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is once again directed by Cameron, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. The ensemble cast includes returning stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, Bailey Bass, Edie Falco, and more. Cameron previously said that the upcoming sequel will explore “different cultures from those I have already shown. The fire will be represented by the ‘Ash People.’ I want to show the Na’vi from another angle because, so far, I have only shown their good sides.”
Avatar: Fire and Ash is set to release on December 19, 2025.
